How to Run Powershell

Powershell is a command-line shell used for task automation via a scripting language based on Microsoft's .NET framework. Powershell uses commands called cmdlets to integrate with scripts or applications.https://technet.microsoft.com/en-...
Method 1 of 4:

Running Powershell (Windows)

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    Hit Win+R. This will open a Run command window.
    1. If you don't want to use the Run command, you can also search the Start menu for 'Powershell'.
    2. Powershell is included with versions of Windows 7 or later.
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    Enter 'Powershell' into the text field.
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    Click 'OK'. A new Powershell window will open.
Method 2 of 4:

Running Powershell (Mac)

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    Go to https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell in your web browser. This is the official github page for Powershell.
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    Download and install the .pkg file for Mac. You must be running OSX 10.11 or newer.
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    Open the Launchpad. This is the rocket icon in the bottom dock.
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    Enter "Terminal" into the search field. You can also find the Terminal in "Applications > Utilities".
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    Launch Terminal. A blank terminal window will appear.
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    Enter 'powershell' and hit Enter. A powershell prompt will appear with 'PS' displayed. This means that powershell is running and you can use the Terminal to enter cmdlets.
Method 3 of 4:

Running Powershell (Ubuntu)

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    Go to https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell in your web browser. This is the official github page for Powershell.
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    Download the .deb file for your corresponding version of Linux. Powershell is available for Ubuntu 14.04 or 16.04. They have separate installers listed on the page.
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    Open a Terminal window. You can hit Win+Alt+T or click 'Home' and search for 'Terminal'.
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    Enter 'sudo dpkg -i [installer filename]' and hit Enter. You will be prompted to enter your computer password when using the 'sudo' command. You may see a failure with unmet dependencies, but this will be resolved soon.
    1. The installer filename will look like 'powershell_6.0.0-alpha.10-1ubuntu1.16.04.1_amd64.deb' or 'powershell_6.0.0-alpha.10-1ubuntu1.14.04.1_amd64.deb' depending on which version of Ubuntu you are running.
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    Enter 'sudo apt-get install -f' and hit Enter. This Powershell configuration will complete.
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    Enter 'powershell' and hit Enter. A powershell prompt will appear and you can run cmdlets in the Terminal.
Method 4 of 4:

Using Basic Powershell Commands

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    Use 'Get-Command' to find cmdlets. On its own, this cmdlet will display all other cmdlets. You can narrow your search using modifiers.
    1. For example: 'Get-Command Name *Disable*' will display only cmdlets with 'disable' in the name.
    2. All cmdlets are entered by typing them into the Powershell window and hitting Enter.
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    Use 'Get-Help' to get info on a certain cmdlet. This cmdlet will give you all the information regarding another cmdlet, most importantly syntax for how the target cmdlet is used.
    1. For example: 'Get-Help Get-Process' will display all the usable information for the 'Get-Process' cmdlet.
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    Use 'Get-Process' to use a process running on a computer. Alone this will display a full list of processes running on your computer. With a modifier, you can single out processes coming from a specific application.
    1. For example: 'Get-Process winword' will display all processes being run by Microsoft Word.
    2. Similarly, 'Start-Process' can be used to launch an instance of an application/process.
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    Use 'Get-Member' to see properties or methods of an object. This cmdlet needs an object 'piped' to it in order to be useful. This is done by adding a '|' between an object and the 'Get-Member' cmdlet.
    1. For example: 'Get-Process | Get-Member' will pipe the Get-Process cmdlet to Get-Member, and Get-Member will list all of the properties and methods you can utilize when scripting with Get-Process.
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    Use 'Where-Object' to select objects based on criteria. The criteria in Where-Object is set by using the following formatting: '{$_[object] [operator] [parameter] }'. Where-Object also needs an object piped to it.
    1. For example: 'Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.name -eq 'notepad' }' will run Get-Process with the limitation where the object's name is equal to 'notepad'.
    2. Other operators include: '-lt' (less than), '-gt' (greater than), '-le' (less than or equal to), '-ge' (greater than or equal to), '-ne' (not equal to), or '-like' (pattern matching).[2]
    3. Parameters using strings (words) must be enclosed in quotations marks. This is not necessary for integers (numbers).
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